Commissioner Mike O’Rielly thanked Oklahoma’s 911 administrator for replying to questions on why Oklahoma and other states didn’t respond for an FCC report on state 911 fees. Lance Terry, the 911 administrator, had said Oklahoma doesn’t divert 911 revenue, but didn’t respond because the state’s 911 division is newly formed (see 1802260046). “It seems as though your State is properly prioritizing Next Generation 9-1-1 services and 9-1-1 management,” O’Rielly wrote in a Friday letter to Terry.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shunned “pomp or circumstance” of a conventional initial public offering road show at the company’s first investor day Thursday, saying the traditional model “isn’t a good fit.” Noting the typical IPO requires a quiet period, he said: “We don’t think that’s the right thing to do.” Spotify has allowed employees and shareholders to buy and sell stock for years “and that shouldn’t stop just because our stock is becoming more widely owned,” he said.

Oklahoma doesn't divert 911 funds for unrelated purposes, though it failed to respond to the FCC’s latest report on state 911 fees, Oklahoma State 911 Coordinator Lance Terry told us Monday: “All funds met the FCC standards and definitions for the purpose of 9-1-1.” Commissioner Mike O’Rielly last week admonished that state and others for not responding (see 1802230012). “The State has a newly formed Division for 9-1-1,” Terry said in a statement. “The new office is gathering information and was not aware of this report until it was too late to respond. The State wants to come into compliance and complete the FCC report.” The state passed legislation in 2016 to provide 911 oversight and Oklahoma hired its state 911 coordinator last year, Terry said. The new Oklahoma 911 Management Authority has “several initiatives” to enhance 911 service, he added. O'Rielly aide Brooke Ericson responded, "Hopefully, the other states will follow the good example of Oklahoma.”

Movements to end 911 fee diversion in New Jersey and Rhode Island continue as FCC commissioners amplify rhetoric on the issue and after another commission report showed several states still using 911 fees charged on phone bills for things not directly related to 911. But governors in violating states haven't pledged changes and the state-level efforts -- spearheaded by industry and county officials in New Jersey and a state representative in Rhode Island -- are not new. Continued misuse of the fees is “incredibly disappointing” and “jeopardizes the future of the 911 system,” warned National Emergency Number Association Director-Government Affairs Trey Forgety. Funding is a key challenge to implementing NG-911, GAO said in a report released Friday.

Commissioner Mike O’Rielly admonished states that didn't tell the FCC if they diverted state 911 fee revenue for unrelated purposes. The FCC released its latest 911 fee report earlier this month (see 1802080062). “Failure by a state or territory to appropriately respond forces the Commission to provide an incomplete picture of 9-1-1 diversion activities,” O’Rielly said in a Tuesday letter to governors of Guam, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. Officials from those states and territories failed to respond to the FCC’s request, he said. O’Rielly asked the governors to explain their lack of response, say if they diverted fees and describe how much money was diverted and for what purpose. “At the very least … you should have been aware of the impending failure to respond,” the commissioner wrote. “This suggests that addressing your 9-1-1 system or NG 9-1-1 capabilities is not as high of a priority for your state or territory as it should be.” That’s “beyond disappointing,” with lack of response suggesting that fee diversion occurred, he said. The states and territories didn't comment right away.

President Donald Trump signed the Kari's Law Act (HR-582) Friday amid commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. 911 call, the White House said. The bill, which the House gave final approval to earlier this month (see 1802080050 and 1802090050), mandates direct 911 dialing in U.S. hotels and other multiline telephone systems. “Today, 9-1-1 services are available to roughly 97 percent of the geographic United States,” Trump said in a statement. “Advances in technology have made this system more widespread, precise, and efficient -- enabling dispatchers to provide rapid response and timely assistance when the difference between life and death can be only a matter of seconds.” House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., lauded HR-582's enactment. “In the heat of a crisis, Kari’s Law ensures that dialing 9-1-1 means your call will go through, no matter what kind of phone you’re using,” Walden and Blackburn said in a statement. “With this bill now the law of the land, the tragedy that took Kari Hunt's life in 2013 has become a source for positive change, making emergency communications faster and more reliable for every American.” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai also praised the bill: “An access code should not stand between people who call 911 in need of help and emergency responders who can provide assistance.” Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus co-Chairwoman Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., touted the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (HR-4672/S-2061), which aims to bolster state and local governments’ transition to the technology (see 1702280062 and 1712180066). She tweeted that 911 has become “the first point of contact for Americans in an emergency situation, but we’re still relying on technology that’s fifty years old ... In life-threatening situations seconds matter, and this enhanced information will be a game changer for first responders and the public safety community.”

A Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Donald Trump's four FTC nominees is expected to touch on a wide range of issues, including the nominees' views on the agency's role in net neutrality, antitrust, cybersecurity and privacy issues, lawmakers and industry observers told us. Trump nominated Paul Weiss antitrust lawyer Joseph Simons, whom he plans to designate chairman; former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Assistant Director Rohit Chopra; Noah Phillips, aide to Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas; and former Delta Air Lines Senior Vice President-Legal, Regulatory and International Christine Wilson (see 1801250055 and 1801250066). The hearing is to begin at 9:30 a.m. in 216 Hart.

Federal efforts to halt state diversion of 911 fees may need to be strengthened, said FCC Commissioners Michael O'Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel Friday, the same week the agency sought comment for an annual report on the issue (see 1802080062). They said state and local 911 fees on consumer phone bills are supposed to help upgrade emergency calling systems. "But too many states are stealing these funds and using them for other purposes, like filling budget gaps, purchasing vehicles, or worse," they wrote in an opinion piece in The Hill. They said the FCC found "five states and territories suctioned almost $130 million from their 9-1-1 systems and another seven didn’t even bother to respond to our inquiry to examine their diversion practices. None of this is acceptable." They said federal public safety programs shouldn't be available to states that engage in 911 fee diversion, an effort that has begun in a $115 million 911 grant program under the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. NTIA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which are running the program, are barred from making grants available to jurisdictions that divert 911 fees, they said. "This can serve as a template for any other funds provided at the federal level, including in new infrastructure legislation," they wrote. "We may need to be more creative in order to build the right mechanisms to prevent fee diversion. This could include, for instance, precluding representatives from states that repeatedly divert 9-1-1 fees from participating on advisory panels and task forces that inform the emergency calling work of the FCC, NTIA and NHTSA. We also may need to examine more aggressive actions at the FCC’s disposal." NARUC and the National Counsel of State Legislatures didn't comment.

Lawmakers and communications sector lobbyists are watching closely for any final clues about President Donald Trump's long-anticipated infrastructure legislative proposal, before expected Monday release. Several told us they would gauge the proposal's viability based on what funding the proposal allocates directly for broadband projects. Trump's glancing mention of infrastructure plans during his January State of the Union speech, and particularly omission of broadband, left many industry officials disappointed and surprised. Some predicted it was a bad omen for their push to strengthen a broadband title in coming legislation (see 1801310071).

NARUC supported 911 direct dialing in hotels and other enterprises, in replies posted Monday in FCC docket 17-239. NARUC passed a resolution at its November meeting (see 1711160006). Don’t pre-empt states, the association said. “It is counterproductive for the FCC to limit State’s ability to enforce compliance with any federal mandates or limit State rules that provide additional protections/requirements that enhance efficient and reliable operations of 9-1-1 systems.” West Safety supported an FCC rulemaking proposing uniform E-911 rules for enterprise communications systems (ECS) requiring direct 911 dialing, on-site notification, appropriate routing to public safety answering points and reasonably precise location information. NCTA replied the FCC should recognize that providing location information for ECS customers is more technically complex than with residential customers. ECS services should be accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing, said the National Association of the Deaf and others.